Year-long Santa Opens Heart To Neglected, Abused Children

Ed Pudaloff doesn`t have a white beard or a red suit or a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer. But for hundreds of abused and neglected Broward County children, he plays Santa Claus 365 days a year.

``It`s important to have three square meals a day, but it`s also important to have some social goodies,`` Pudaloff said, explaining the philosophy behind HANDY -- Helping Abused, Neglected, Dependent Youth -- an organization he began less than a year ago with $1,000 and a deep concern for children.

The organization grew out of Pudaloff`s work as a Guardian Ad Litem volunteer.

Court-appointed Guardians Ad Litem represent children who are taken from their families because they are victims of physical, sexual or mental abuse.

Volunteers are assigned as many cases as they can handle and remain on the cases until they are settled, getting to know the child and the family and recommending to the judge what action would be in the child`s best interest.

Pudaloff, 65, of Plantation, has been with the program almost since its inception about four years ago. What started out as a twice-a-week volunteer effort for him has turned into a 40-50 hour per week volunteer effort.

After about a year and a half as a guardian, Pudaloff said he became discouraged because all of the needs of the children could not be met through the state-supported program.

Volunteers were spending hundreds of dollars of their own money buying the children clothes and other necessities as well as treating them to movies or other entertainment.

``Guardian Ad Litem acts as an advocate for children`s rights and HANDY acts as an advocate for children`s needs,`` Pudaloff said.

Guardian Leslie Bennis, 69, of Tamarac, said when one of the 23 children he is representing needs something, he turns to HANDY.

The initial funding for HANDY was a $1,000 Golden Rule Award Pudaloff received last February from JCPenney for his work with the guardians.

Over the past year, about $3,000 has been donated to HANDY.

That was mostly unsolicited contributions. HANDY recently was granted tax- free status and Pudaloff said the guardians, who are all HANDY members, will now actively seek contributions.

Charitable organizations such as Kids Crusaders and Voice for Children also contribute toys, clothing and other items to HANDY, Pudaloff said.

Pudaloff said over its 10-month life, HANDY has supplied beds for two little boys who had been sleeping on the floor, placed a door on the bedroom of an 8- year-old girl who had been physically abused, took 35 girls between the ages of 12 and 16 to a fashion show where they received free cosmetic kits and supplied hundreds of food baskets to needy families.

After an abused child has been returned to a family, Pudaloff said it takes 45 days before the family is re-issued food stamps. HANDY feeds the family during that period.

HANDY cuts through the bureaucracy of filing forms and solves the immediate problems, no questions asked, Pudaloff said.

He said the Christmas season helps to glamorize the problems of child abuse and neglect. ``On Dec. 25, everybody comes out and everybody`s a do-gooder,`` he said. ``But kids also go hungry on Jan. 14.``

And often times, he said this season of giving results in more abused children. ``Statistics show that during this time of year parents get frustrated because they can`t do enough for their kids`` and those frustrations are often taken out on the kids.

The retired Buffalo, N.Y., auto dealer said his works as a guardian is rewarding and it allows him to give back to society some of what he has been given.

``I`d like this article to encourage more people to volunteer,`` he said.